Apparatuses for changing the diapers of a baby or for “changing a baby” and other small children not yet toilet trained, have become widely used, such as in public restrooms, to assist a parent or other child supervisor when changing a baby's diapers. Such baby diaper changing apparatuses, often times referred to as simply baby changing stations, have taken various forms as evidenced by patents in the field, and generally take the form of a base which is mounted vertically onto a surface of a wall and a support platform or surface which is hingedly mounted to the base to hinge down from the base and lie generally horizontal to support a baby. While available baby changing apparatuses may operate sufficiently for the primary purpose of offering a generally horizontal surface on which to rest a baby during a diaper change, it is still desirable to improve upon the currently available apparatuses.
One particular drawback to existing baby changing apparatuses is the fact that most such apparatuses are fabricated of a single neutral color which, more often than not, does not match the color schemes of tile and vanity surfaces utilized within the restroom facility. Contractors, architects and the owners of public facilities often go to great lengths to present a clean and efficient restroom area with a pleasing design, decor and color scheme. Often the colors are corporate colors and are used in all restroom facilities in a particular establishment, such as a fast-food restaurant chain. Existing single color baby changing apparatuses detract from the overall decor because their large, neutral exposed surfaces clash with the colors within the restroom area. Furthermore, since the off-color baby changing apparatuses are mounted to a wall, they are particularly noticeable, further detracting from the decor. When the baby-supporting platform is in an up and closed position, a large amount of exposed surface area against the wall of the restroom presents a distinct clash with other restroom apparatuses and surfaces. Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to present a more uniform decorative impression within a public restroom facility utilizing a baby changing apparatus.
Existing baby changing stations are also particularly subject to defacement since they are located on the walls of public restroom facilities. As noted, when the baby changing station is in the closed position, it presents a large outer surface area which somewhat invites vandalism. Vandals generally mark the outer surface with graffiti and scrape and abrade the exposed surfaces. The soft plastic of the molded station is particularly susceptible to such abrasion and other damage. As may be appreciated, such vandalism discourages use of the changing station by protective parents and further degrades the overall appearance of cleanliness within the restroom facility sending a message of neglect to users of the facility. The graffiti and vandalism is often permanent on the exposed surfaces of the changing station and requires the costly remedy of replacing an entire changing station. Therefore, it is an objective of the invention to reduce the costly and permanent damage from vandalism of baby changing stations. It is a further objective of the invention to reduce the necessity of replacing entire changing stations because of graffiti and vandalism.
Existing baby changing stations, such as those available from Brocar Products of Cincinnati, Ohio, have addressed the issues of both aesthetic appeal and vandalism by providing a changing station that utilizes a protective and decorative panel on the platform of the station. Such a panel is also set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,802,647 and 6,049,928 which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. When the station is in a closed position, the panel is exposed on the large bottom surface of the support platform. The panel may be any of a variety of colors to match the decor of a restroom facility. Also, the panel is made of a material which is damage resistant. Furthermore, if sufficient vandalism occurs, it may only be necessary to replace the panel rather than the whole changer. Also, if the changing station is to be moved to a different facility, it will only be necessary to get a different color panel to match the decor of the new facility.
However, while such panels improve upon the overall look, damage resistance and practicality of changing stations, they present other issues. For example, such panels are generally incorporated with the station using a frame structure which is riveted or otherwise secured to the changer. The frame creates various edges and crevices at its interface with the changer. Not only may such edges detract from the fit and finish, but they may also collect dirt and other foreign material. As may be expected this may degrade the appearance and perceived cleanliness of the changer. Therefore, there is still a need to improve upon the existing changing stations with respect to their durability, fit, finish and cleanliness.
Furthermore, the edge formed by the frame structure is raised, away from the surface of the changing station. Such a raised edge provides a leverage point around the changing station for the frame structure to be pried away from the changing station for further damage thereto. Therefore, it is further the objective of the invention to provide a changing station that is resistant to vandalism.
As may be appreciated, baby diaper changing stations are meant to support somewhat precious cargo, that is, an infant or toddler. Such support is generally provided several feet above a floor surface, which is often a hard surface, such as tile. Therefore, it is certainly desirable to provide for a secure attachment of the changing station, particularly to provide for a secure attachment of the base of the changing station to a wall surface. To that end, it is desirable to not only use the surface material of the wall surface, such as dry wall, but also to use strong support structures therein for supporting the changing station.
Typically, blocking is utilized in the wall area where a changing station is to be mounted. Such blocking, which includes the addition of both vertical and horizontal support structure being added to the wall, in addition to the existing support structures, such as 2×4's, requires special measures. For example, usually the location for the changing station in the facility must be pre-selected. Then, drawings must be accordingly adjusted to indicate to a contractor the area for blocking. Finally, the additional work has to be done to block a particular area. Such extra measures increase the overall cost of constructing or retrofitting the facility, but may be required for ideal securement and for spreading the load of the changing station over the support structures. In addition to the extra costs and time, such blocked areas are generally pre-selected and, thus, do not allow for mounting flexibility based upon field conditions. If the changing station is to be moved, then another area has to be blocked, additional drawings have to be made, etc., further driving up costs.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a station that is readily mounted to a wall surface without overly complicated and time-consuming blocking procedures. It is further desirable to provide mounting flexibility in the field.
These objectives and other objectives of the present invention are discussed in further detail below.